Guest Column: Partnerships create success for Rockford, area

I appreciated the Register Star Editorial celebrating the Downtown Venues Plan and the leadership of RAVE. After reading that positive editorial, however, I was amazed to read the message in the political column published on the same day, which charged us with failing to have a “Team Rockford” approach and lacking a “sense of urgency.”

I appreciated the Register Star Editorial celebrating the Downtown Venues Plan and the leadership of RAVE. This was made possible through the city and county cooperating to appoint the new RAVE Board. After reading that positive editorial, however, I was amazed to read the message in the political column published on the same day, which charged us with failing to have a “Team Rockford” approach and lacking a “sense of urgency.”

The city works every week with local partners to accomplish community-wide goals. Whether we’re working on economic development projects like a Lowe’s Distribution Center or Wanxiang Solar Power Plant, or we’re planning capital improvement projects like our downtown riverwalk, Amtrak rail service, or airport access improvements, the city is continuously aided by partners at all levels of government and the private sector. Big successes rarely happen on our own.

In fact, we’re moving beyond ad-hoc partnerships toward continuous improvement efforts like Alignment Rockford, a partnership of public schools, private employers and local government officials working to help the Rockford public schools. Our efforts helped achieve the School Board’s unanimous vote to redesign every one of Rockford’s public high schools to become college and career academies.

Even our unsuccessful effort to recruit Embry-Riddle University has had positive outcomes. That effort helped spur the aerospace engineering program partnership called “JiET-A” between Rock Valley College, NIU, Rockford College and the RAEDC. Our conversations have grown to a deeper discussion on the opportunities for education, government and private sector organizations to create a talent pipeline for jobs through coordinated career pathways. Whether the career prospect is in aviation, manufacturing, or digital or performing arts, we have employers and community assets that can be leveraged to create outstanding learning experiences.

Our partnerships are helping economic development at all levels including small businesses and entrepreneurs. RAEDC and RACVB helped us recently launch the city’s EDEEN network, which has brought together multiple economic development organizations with commercial district organizations. This holistic approach helps us leverage the city’s investments through continuous planning and monitoring efforts.

Our “Team Rockford” approach helps Rockford even when the project may not be located here. We have supported Loves Park’s Woodward expansion, Belvidere’s Chrysler’s expansion, and Rochelle’s rail hub because we know that we all win when jobs are grown or brought to this area. Building our regional economic base helps grow jobs and prosperity for Rockford families.

The urgency of our efforts is even greater now when communities simply don’t have the revenue to succeed on their own. Expenses like public pensions have grown much faster than revenues. That’s why we’ve partnered on public safety efforts like “Operation Clean Sweep” that leverage the manpower of multiple police organizations. That’s also why we’re exploring even stronger partnerships to reduce crime through expanded prisoner re-entry efforts and shutting down street gangs. That’s also why we worked together to pass the electrical aggregation law that will save an estimated $20 million for our citizens.

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I am proud of our many successful community partnerships. We have even more on the way. We’ll continue to partner to pursue plans like “Reclaiming First” to grow our amateur sports market. We’ll examine partnership opportunities to improve health and wellness. And we’ll partner with District 205 to leverage our strengths in early learning for our families. When we work together, we win together.